Update 22 May 2015
It is amazing to see how quickly Nepal has disappeared from the world’s news headlines. However, the people there, especially in the rural areas, are still suffering fear, hunger, lack of housing and aftershocks.
This is the latest from Kamal who works with AIDSLink Nepal (ALN):
“After few days I went to my village (Gorkah) there was no place to stay. The houses were damaged and the people were spending the night under the open sky, food was buried inside the house and could not be taken out. There was no good place to stay, the land was wet with rain, no food to eat and the children were in danger of getting sick.”
The second big earthquake filled everyone with further fear and insecurity.
The ALN team, were bringing aid to Gorkah when it hit. Still further damage was done to houses. We know of fifty-five AIDSLink client families in the rural areas who have lost their homes, have no food and are still sleeping in the open. Thus far government aid is not getting to them.
They are still getting daily aftershocks.
Amidst all the confusion it seems that the HIV treatment programme at the hospital in Kathmandu is still going on, so that is good news, but we don’t know how it will be when people in the rural areas need to refill their prescriptions.
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Original Update:
Around mid-day local time on Saturday Nepal experienced a devastating earthquake.
This is what we know about the AIDSLink team:
Once a year the staff, support group families and their children have a day out and have a picnic in a local park. This is a really special event in the calendar, a highlight which people look forward to.
This year the day out fell on the same day as the earthquake. We are thankful to God for this.
It meant they were out in the open and, because it is a special event, people make an extra effort to be there, so the attendance is usually good. So, all who were there are okay (or as okay as you can be when your country has been devastated).
We have heard that the AIDSLink Nepal building is also okay.
The team are still sleeping in the open under make-shift tents.
This is what we do not know:
- Most Nepalis have family in the villages, we don't know how any of them are.
- Neither do we know about the AIDSLink clients who live in the rural areas.
- Neither do we have a list of the names of those who attended the picnic.
Any gifts given via our web portal will, until further notice, be used for the ministry in Nepal (unless specified otherwise).
Click here to give to AIDSLink Nepal
